A suspect caused such mayhem after his arrest that it took seven policemen to arrest him, a court has been told.

Nathan Drury, 25, of Temperance Street, Torquay, laughed loudly and said ‘Yum, Yum,’ when officers Captor sprayed him in the face.

He had been arrested for driving while disqualified but the situation quickly got out of hand when he was taken to Torquay police station.

Exeter Crown Court was told he injured two officers as they tried to put handcuffs on him.

Drury was jailed for nine months after admitting driving while disqualified, driving without insurance, obstructing a police officer, assaulting a police officer executing his duty, and breaching a suspended sentence.

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He bear hugged the detention officer then started to twist his leg for 30 seconds. Officers again managed to overpower him and put him in leg restraints.

The detention officer suffered a large bruise to his torso and blurred vision as a result of the attack.

Drury has previous convictions for criminal damage, theft and driving while disqualified. In May 2017 he was given a suspended sentence for a series of thefts at a car wash in Teignmouth Road which caused thousands of pounds worth of damage. The latest offence put him in breach of that punishment

Paul Dentith, mitigating, asked the judge not to send him to jail. He said the defendant was taking cocaine at the time but now had a job and was getting his life back together.

Judge Erik Salomonsen said considering all the circumstances he would impose a sentence of nine months and disqualify Drury from driving for 16 months.